A shift with South Central’s lifesaving volunteers

Peter Rockhill (right) is a software developer who works from home in a village near Winchester. Lee Davey (left) is a security adviser in one of Portsmouth’s busiest retail hubs. Both work regular shifts for South Central Ambulance Service’s (SCAS) Community First Responder (CFR) team.

On International Volunteer Day we take a moment to ask them what it’s like to combine full time work with saving lives.

What first inspired you to become a Community First Responder?

Lee: In my security work I was involved in a scheme to help get urgent care for patients more quickly as we were experiencing some quite long waits for an ambulance. Through doing that I realised I could help in a personal capacity too.

It feels good to give out to the community of Portsmouth and get to the people who are in need more quickly, and of course help relieve some of the stress on the ambulance service as well.

Peter: The main thing for me is that when you see someone on the street unconscious, most people’s reaction is to hope that somebody else goes up to them and find out what’s the matter. I wanted to be the person who was able to approach, and see if they needed help. And I felt I could do that in a calm way, without panicking.

My career helped too. I’m in IT, and a role in a previous company allowed me to go into operating theatres to train staff how to use new software. I ended up being quite inspired speaking to some of the surgeons and watching them operate.

I then saw the advert for a CFR come up locally – they were looking for someone who could keep calm in an emergency. And I thought that could be me, so I applied.

How did you get qualified?

Lee: I’ve been a CFR for 10 months now. I did a five day FutureQuals FROS® training course in basic life support, airway management and pain relief.

SCAS put me through the course – once you’ve successfully completed it, they supply you with your kit – your equipment and uniform. You can then choose whether you respond from home in your own vehicle or if you pick up one of the SCAS vehicles at the start of your shift.

Peter: I’ve been a CFR for 11 years but I actually only did FROS last year. My initial training was in-house with SCAS. But then FutureQuals came along to standardise it across the whole country.

Until then every trust had been doing their own thing, so it just made sense to bring it all together. So now, for example, if someone wants to move from Cornwall up to Manchester, they can take the qualification with them and join the local group. And it’s a recognised qualification, which is great.

How does being a CFR relate to your day job?

Peter: I’m in IT and I work from home, in fact I haven’t been into the office for two years now! Being a CFR is s really good contrast because it’s a totally different sort of role, getting out and meeting lots of other people in the community.

I use my own vehicle – I’m more than happy to be based at home and use my own car around the Winchester area. And I have a set of equipment I can store at my house. I tend to be on call at weekends, and I have everything I need at home to be on call.

I’ve got a full time job as well, so I tend not to work overnight during the week. Because if you get called to a cardiac arrest at two o’clock in the morning, you’re not going to get back to sleep after that, and that’s not fair on my employer!

How long does it take to get to emergencies?

Lee: Well that depends on the traffic enforcement, because we’re not blue light trained! But if I’m in the vicinity I can be there very quickly, within four to eight minutes. The ambulance will try to get there within 20 minutes, sometimes a little longer, so usually I’m the first on the scene.

How often are you called on?

Lee: I might have a sort of a quiet day where I get three or four calls, but on a busy day I could be called out ten times. I use my training every day.

Every time I log on and the phone goes off, I’m called out. And it could be anything from a concern for welfare, up to a cardiac arrest – you have to be prepared for anything!

Peter: No two shifts are the same. I could be on all day and get nothing, then the next day get back to back calls a minute after logging in. Usually I’m on shift five to eight hours, and get one or two calls.

If I get called out and I can help someone that’s really good, but equally if I’m not called out that’s good too because everyone’s safe! So I’ll just be at home getting on with other bits and pieces, but ready to take the call if I’m needed.

Is there much awareness of the difference that that CFRs make, or that it’s an unpaid role?

Lee: Actually, no, I’ve had a few comments where people says ‘You guys aren’t paid enough’. And we’re able to smile and say that actually we’re not paid anything! I’ve had people gobsmacked to find out that we’re giving our time to help people in their darkest hour for free!

Peter: It doesn’t come up in conversation that often, because obviously patient care is central, but when it does people are so flabbergasted when they find out that you’re that you’re not actually paid for what you do!

Can you think of an example which illustrates how volunteer CFRs add value to the Ambulance Service?

CFRs are called out to non-injury falls, where typically an ambulance won’t be dispatched in the first instance. We can assess a patient, get them up off the floor and assess again after speaking to a clinician, and potentially be able to leave them with no ambulance needed.

I had a call last Saturday with exactly that, which really shows the value of having a CFR. Someone had had a non-injury fall and had been told there would potentially be a 19 hour wait because it wasn’t a high category emergency. I arrived there within half an hour, and was able to get the patient up off the floor, so they were surprised and really pleased. I was then able to do an assessment and found out they were actually quite ill, so I was able to phone for backup and get an ambulance out quickly.

That’s where my training comes in, because if a patient’s blood pressure is really low and they have a pulse of 30 that’s not good, and we need to do something about it. It’s having that understanding that you can escalate if you need to, but if they’re stable enough you have everything you need there.

You can see that relief on their faces just by being there – turning up in uniform, carrying a medical bag. They’re just so pleased that help has arrived, before you actually do anything – it’s great to be able to offer that reassurance.

What advice would you give someone if they’re wondering about becoming a CFR?

Lee: Do it! It’s worth every minute of the day that you’re logged on.

If you’re wondering what it takes, you can do observer shifts within the ambulance service. So give that a go. If you enjoy it, pop down to your ambulance station, or look at the SCAS website, and we’re more than happy to help.

Peter: Some people see this role as a stepping stone into the ambulance service, which is great. If gives them the opportunity to go to emergencies, and then they can make the decision about whether it’s for them, if they want to be a paramedic or Emergency Care Assistant. But of course others like me are able to help it fit into their normal week.

If you enjoy caring and want to make a difference to people’s lives, and if you feel that you can be calm in in an emergency, then do it!

If you’re in South Central England see SCAS’s website about how to volunteer as a Community First Responder.

The NHS website or individual Ambulance Trust websites have details of how to volunteer in other areas of the UK.

FutureQuals is proud to work with every NHS Ambulance Trust in the UK and is the Awarding Body behind many landmark pre-hospital care qualifications, including the Community First Responder On Scene (FROS®) qualification which both Lee and Peter have done. Find out more on our website.